Black and White Screen in Windows

Seeing a sudden black and white screen on your Windows computer can be puzzling, but it’s often not a serious issue. Restoring the screen color usually takes just a few simple steps. In this guide, we’ll go over the most common causes of black and white screens and walk you through how to fix the problem quickly.

Common Causes of a Black and White Screen

  • Accidental hotkey press. Windows has a hotkey that quickly switches the screen to grayscale mode: Win + Ctrl + C. Users often press this by accident, enabling a color filter that turns the screen black and white.
  • Color filter settings. Windows has a built-in accessibility feature that allows users to turn the screen black and white. If this setting is enabled, it will make everything grayscale on purpose.
  • Graphics card driver issues. Driver problems can sometimes cause color distortion on the screen, including making it appear black and white.

How to Restore Color on a Windows Screen

Depending on the cause, there are several ways to bring color back to your screen. Here’s how to approach each potential solution.

Method 1: Turn Off Color Filters

  1. Open Settings by pressing Win + I.
  2. Go to Ease of Access > Color Filters.
  3. In the “Color Filters” section, toggle the switch off to restore color on your screen.

Method 2: Use Hotkeys

If the screen went black and white due to an accidental key press, try pressing Win + Ctrl + C again to turn off the color filter mode.

Method 3: Update or Reinstall Graphics Card Drivers

  1. Open Device Manager by right-clicking the Start button and selecting “Device Manager.”
  2. Go to Display Adapters, then right-click your graphics card and choose Update Driver.
  3. Follow the on-screen instructions, or download the latest drivers from the graphics card manufacturer’s website.